pembletonfandomcom-20200214-history
Grand Duchy of Eparchia
The Grand Duchy of Eparchia, commonly known as Eparchia or Sotha, is a city state which lies to the north of the Commonwealth of Pem and is situated in the region of Eparchia. It is ruled by the Grand Duke of Eparchia, who is traditionally the Grand Master of the Order of Saint Sotha. The region features a single, join-settlement of the village of Little Sotha and Old Sotha, better known as the Cathedral City. Thanks to the extensive and well preserved records of the Order of Saint Sotha, an unusually complete history of the region is available dating back to 1100BGE. History Argaivan Province Prior to the establishment of the Grand Duchy, the region of Eparchia was a part of the Eastern colonies of the Argaivan Empire. The region was home to a number of mining settlements that also acted as stop-over points for road and river routes between Ak-polona, Argavia and Ruby City. A fort, Argilla, was constructed beside the mountain in the east of the region. After the collapse of the empire following the First Great Catastrophe the region was gradually abandoned as trade routes dried up. Resettlement and Early Argilla In 1103 BGE a succession crisis in Ruby City led to the banishment of Arkigallus Agios, cousin of the successful claimant. Arkigallus took his supporters and his considerable wealth and repaired the dilapidated fort of Argilla in Eparchia. Following this, Argilla was commonly referred to as Widdlow ("land of the idiot", taken from a Prydowan expression) by Ruby City, a name that gradually permeated through the Centrelands. Arkigallus intended the fort to serve as a training ground for an army, that he intended to use to reclaim what he perceived as his rightful position as Archon of Ruby City. Arkigallus provided the townspeople of Argilla with thorough military training, with those who exhibited the most skill in swordplay and warfare being awarded with senior positions within the town. However, over time Arkigallus' followers became disillusioned with his obsession with capturing Ruby City, knowing his intentions were destined for defeat at the hands of the much larger Ruby Legion, one of the only standing armies in the Centrelands at the time. Concurrently, Arkigallus' son, Gallus, demonstrated excellent statesmanship and levelheadedness, alongside martial prowess and in 1076BGE overthrew his father, banishing him from Eparchia. Gallus began to reinvent the army that his father had created into a dual military outfit. Half of the army, the Eparchian Legion, would serve to defend the province and act as a police force, whilst the other half would serve as a mercenary outfit, under the grandiose title the Order of Argilla. The Order of Argilla became both renowned and infamous among various different groups and city-states over the next three-quarters of a century. In 1001 BGE Ruby City employed the Order of Argilla to join in Ankhosian Crusade. Ser Sotha Agios (grandson of Gallus Agios), was master of the Order and participated in the Sacking of Ankhos. Upon his return, Sotha brought back a variety of "relics" and valuable treasures that brought great wealth to the province. Return of Sotha from the Ankhosian Crusade Along with the riches that he brought, Sotha also told his people of the destruction wrought by the gods in the Second Catastrophe that destroyed Ankhos. Sotha founded the Holy Order of Argilla in 998BGE, in order to ensure the "proper worship of the Many" among the Eparchians. The new order served as a collection of priests, theologians and scholars, as well as warriors who vowed to extol and embody the values of the Many in all their efforts. Upon the death of his father in 994BGE Sotha ordered the construction of a cathedral fortress where fort Argilla stood. The construction was funded through the vast riches plundered from Ankhos and over the next 15 years a large fortress "cathedral" was constructed that dwarfed the small town beside it. Death of Sotha and Establishment of the Holy Order In 976BGE, Sotha was ambushed and killed whilst hunting in the woodland north of Woleseat. Sotha's Relic, a treasure from Ankhos that he always carried upon his person, was also stolen from his body. Following Sotha's death the Holy Order of Argilla declared Sotha a saint and renamed itself the Holy Order of Saint Sotha, in reverence of their fallen leader. Thasos Agios, brother of Sotha, was less popular than his recently deceased brother. As such, he readily endorsed this change and installed himself as Grandmaster of the Order of Saint Sotha, merging it with the Order of Argilla and the Eparchian Legion to consolidate his power and please his citizens. Category:Nation States